Aviva simplifies and speeds up home insurance buying to help customers

31 Jan 2018

Home insurance buying journey made simpler and quicker.

Aviva committed to making insurance easier

Simpler processes transform customer buying, as two in five (38%) UK adults with home insurance1 say home insurance questions are as hard, if not harder, as GCSE exam questions

One in three (32%) have given up on an application because it took too long or they didn’t have the right information

Three quarters (76%) of UK adults with home insurance feel the insurance industry needs to do more to make it quicker, simpler and cheaper to take out the right insurance policies.

Aviva is transforming its insurance-buying process by removing unnecessary underwriting questions and ending duplication for customers, making it faster and easier for customers to get accurate cover.

With applicants only needing to confirm a few key pieces of information, the move cuts the average time taken to get a price for new customers who apply for a home insurance quote online directly from Aviva. Crucially, simplifying the process of providing accurate information reduces the risk of a having a home insurance claim rejected.

Instead, the insurer will provide accurate premiums using information customers have previously provided as well as other sources, such as Land Registry data, to simplify the quotation process, remove uncertainty for customers and avoid duplication.

Following a successful pilot, which has been running since last summer, the shortened home insurance process has now been applied to all home insurance ‘quote and buy journeys’ via the Aviva website, its MyAviva online portal and mobile app. It will be rolled out to other product areas throughout 2018, with the concept also being applied to claims processes in future.

Owen Morris, digital director at Aviva, said: “At Aviva we’re determined to make endless, unnecessary, insurance questions a thing of the past. Insurers have a reputation for making things complicated for customers, which leads to frustration and a lack of trust but at Aviva we want to do things differently.

At Aviva we’re determined to make endless, unnecessary, insurance questions a thing of the past. Insurers have a reputation for making things complicated for customers, which leads to frustration and a lack of trust but at Aviva we want to do things differently.

Owen Morris

“Until now, taking out insurance has meant running a gauntlet of complex questions to achieve the peace of mind that home insurance can bring but many of these questions - such as the type of door and window locks - can be difficult to answer. By removing these difficult questions, we’re not only saving customers time, we’re reducing any worry they may have about providing the right answers.

“We’re now able to pinpoint the risk of each property in a different way, speeding up the home application process and killing complexity.

“But we’re not stopping at this. Our future aim is cut the number of questions even further and we’re continually looking at ways to innovate. We’ll be applying these principles across other Aviva product and services, including claims, so the experience of dealing with insurers no longer feels like an interrogation. Customers can instead focus on what really matters: identifying what’s important to them and ensuring this is protected.”

Home insurance questions as difficult as GCSEs for two in five policyholders

Research carried out by Aviva1 suggests simpler insurance application processes are desperately needed. Almost two in five (38%) UK adults with home insurance feel the questions they face when taking out home insurance are as hard, if not harder, as GCSE exam questions. More than a quarter (29%) feel they are on a par with – or worse than – A-level exam questions.

One in three (32%) have given up on getting a quote because it took too long or they didn’t have the right information – suggesting that the status quo prevents some customers from shopping around to find the most suitable policy for their needs.

Difficult questions also mean customers often provide information that may not be accurate when purchasing cover, leaving them worried about whether their claim will be rejected. Simplifying the process for providing accurate information lessens the risk of this happening to customers.

Owen Morris added: “Our research shows three quarters (76%) of UK adults with home insurance feel the insurance industry needs to do more to make it quicker, simpler and cheaper to take out the right insurance policies.

“By removing questions and reducing duplication, we’re making it easier for homeowners to protect their homes, reducing any worry that the information they’ve provided is wrong. This is a huge step forward for the industry and we’d encourage other insurers to follow suit.”

1 Consumer research carried out by Censuswide in December 2017 among 1,217 UK respondents who have home insurance aged 16+.

Notes to editors:

• Aviva provides life insurance, general insurance, health insurance and asset management to 33 million customers.

• In the UK we are the leading insurer serving one in every four households and have strong businesses in selected markets in Europe, Asia and Canada. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE100 index.

• Aviva’s asset management business, Aviva Investors, provides asset management services to both Aviva and external clients, and currently manages over £340 billion in assets. Total group assets under management at Aviva group are £475 billion.

• Aviva helps people save for the future and manage the risks of everyday life; we paid out £34.4 billion in benefits and claims in 2016.

• By serving our customers well, we are building a business which is strong and sustainable, which our people are proud to work for, and which makes a positive contribution to society.

• The Aviva newsroom at www.aviva.com/newsroom includes links to our image library, research reports and our news release archive.